Tourists enjoy a boat trip at the Vam Sat eco-tourism site in Can Gio District

Dead Sea bathing and fishing for crocodiles and crabs make for a different kind of outing.

At a distance of about 50km from the city’s downtown area, it is an ideal place to take a day’s break from the nation’s commercial hub.

The major options that Vam Sat offers, given that it is enveloped by trees and water, are trekking explorations of salinity-intruded forests and a sampan trip to the Dam Doi (Bat Swamp).

For a different take on some traditional activities, you can fish for crabs and crocodiles, and bathe in the “dead sea.”

Crab fishing is not a complicated job for visitors to this eco-tourism area. The creatures are abundant and the rods and bait are readily available. Fishing for crocodiles is yet another fun activity. Visitors stay in a composite boat surrounded by hard steel nets, using a rod with a line and bait to attract dozens of crocodiles in the lake.

Bathing in the “dead sea” is another unusual offering at Vam Sat. The “dead sea” is an artificial construction and is not to be compared with the Dead Sea in the Middle East. The water has been made 10 times saltier than ordinary sea water to make people float. Visitors can lie floating in the lake to read newspapers or books, receive and make phone calls, or lie still doing nothing without fear of sinking.

Dam Doi, the habitat of thousands of bats, can be reached by a sampan that proceeds slowly to the swamp. No noise seems to reach this beautiful place, and it is a perfect time to relax and let go.

Another treat for tourists at Vam Sat is to wear special boots to walk in the mud and explore the date forest that is home to many species of wild animals, especially birds.

Vam Sat can be reached from downtown Ho Chi Minh City by road or waterway transport.

Reported by Dat Tien